WBEZ | Lucas Neffhttp://www.wbez.org/tags/lucas-neff
Latest from WBEZ Chicago Public RadioenLucas Neff is a little forlorn about the NBA playoffshttp://www.wbez.org/blogs/onstagebackstage/2012-05/lucas-neff-little-forlorn-about-nba-playoffs-99662
<p><p><img alt="" class="image-original_image" src="http://www.wbez.org/system/files/styles/original_image/llo/insert-images/126953945_656b29bd1b_z.jpg" style="float: left; width: 300px; height: 225px; " title="(Flickr/Jason Pearce)" />Lucas Neff is best known these days for playing a young dad in the weirdest suburban American family you&#39;ve ever seen, on FOX&#39;s <em>Raising Hope</em>, which was recently renewed for a third season.</p><p>But you might not be aware that he&#39;s got a history in Chicago theater; before moving to Los Angeles, Neff performed at Steppenwolf Theatre and Collaboraction, among many others. He also opened his play <a href="http://jackalopetheatre.org/showarchive.thelastduck.html"><em>The Last Duck</em></a> earlier this year at the Viaduct Theatre.</p><p>Neff returned to his hometown (he grew up in Andersonville) with this unique essay about a basketball who is feeling particularly down about this NBA season. &quot;What you were made for and what you end up doing are two very different things,&quot; says the basketball. Read an excerpt below or listen above:</p><p><em>What you&#39;re about to hear is a section excerpted from a transcript of a conversation that I had with a basketball. His name is Spalding. Our dialog, here excerpted, was conducted on the 14th floor of a Manhattan high rise at 97th street and Columbus. For most of our discussion, Spalding occupied a broad windowsill overlooking several high rises, P.S. 163, and the burnt rubble of a public library. (I don&#39;t remember the name of the library.)</em></p><p><em>In the background, if you listen, you can hear the rain.</em></p><p><em>The first voice you hear is that of Spalding:</em></p><p><em>&quot;It doesn&#39;t matter. I don&#39;t care who you are, I don&#39;t care who you are, f*** you, I do not care, and yeah, man, I get I know I get it I know I do. And that&#39;s not to say that I do know, that I do know exactly when, because that&#39;s empathy and look, I&#39;m not a mind reader. Do you think anybody actually understands anybody?</em></p><p><em>I&#39;m not saying that but what I&#39;m saying is what we&#39;re doing is we&#39;re talking about expectation. And what does that mean? And this is the thing right, like, you should know the difference between indoor and outdoor. Indoor and outdoor. You know what I mean, there&#39;s a difference? Things like that can make a difference, have an impact. Read the f***ing side of the box.&nbsp;</em></p><p><em>That&#39;s it. You get my drift.&quot;</em></p><p><a href="http://thepapermacheteshow.com/" target="_blank">The Paper Machete</a><em>&nbsp;is a weekly live magazine at the Horseshoe in North Center. It&#39;s always at 3 p.m., it&#39;s always on Saturday, and it&#39;s always free. Get all your&nbsp;</em>The Paper Machete Radio Magazine&nbsp;<em>needs filled&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wbez.org/tags/paper-machete" target="_blank">here</a>, or download the podcast from iTunes&nbsp;<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-paper-machete-radio-magazine/id450280345" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></p></p>Wed, 30 May 2012 13:07:00 -0500http://www.wbez.org/blogs/onstagebackstage/2012-05/lucas-neff-little-forlorn-about-nba-playoffs-99662